Air-lift system



l. OLIPHANT.

AIR LIFT SYSTEM.

APPucAUoN min MAR. 19, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN OLIPHANT, 0F CHIGAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SULLIVAN MACHINERY COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F MASSACHUSETTS.

AIB-LIFT SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

To all wtoml z't may concern:

Be it known thatI, JOHN OLIPHANT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use'- ful Improvements in Air-Lift Systems,`of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to air lift systems.

It has for its object to `provide an improved air lift system, and, while not limited thereto, more especiall an improved air lift system particular y adapted to the handling of acids. A further object of my invention is' to provide improved cooperatilfiig pumping and fume separating means e ective to raise the liquid to be pumped and thereafter to separate the fumes and air from the acid and enable the latter to be delivered under ressure as and where de. sired. These an other objects and advantages of my im' roved construction will, however, hereina er more fully appear. Y

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown for pur oses of illustration one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings,-

Fig. 1 is a dia rammatic view of m improved system, t e separator being s own in section.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail lon itudinal section of the pump mechanism an its connections.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the separator taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view thereof on an enlarged scale.

In this illustrative construction I have shown an air lift system includingr a compressor 1, which may be of any desired form, having an intake 2 and a discharge 3 leadin to a receiver 4, which is in `turn connecte through a pipe 5 with a vertically disposed down air pipe 6 extending into a well, herein indicated at 7, wherein the pipe 6 1s connected to an improved pump, hereinafter described which receives the acid from a suitable, herein lateral, supply pipe 8 and delivers the mixture of acid, acid fumes, and air vertically through an up p ipe 9 to an improved separator 10, hereinafter described, Which is in turn connected throu h a pipe 11 with any suitable acid receptac e, as for instance a tank 12.

In my improved construction shown in Fig. 1 it will be observed that the acid supply pipe 8 is horizontall disposed above the ground level and providld with a downwardly extending section 13 of suitable length having at its lower end a section 14 having a straight laterally inclined portion 15 between its upper end 16 and an elbow 17 leading off laterally in an opposite direction, herein at right angles, from its lower end. As shown, this section 14 is suitably flanged at its opposite ends at 18 and removably attached, as by screws or bolts 19 between flanges 20 on the section 13 and flanges 21 formed on a horizontal acid inlet 22 forming an elbow on the pump carrying riser or section 23 and registering with the outlet of the elbow 17. As shown,this memn ber 23 forms the connection between the acid pipe 8 and the up acid, fume and air pipe 9, and'is itself langed at its opposite ends at 24 and 25 and removably attached, as by screws or bolts 26 to a flange 27 on the lower section of the up pipe 9 and to a flange 28 on a U-shaped pipe 29 removably attached by flanges 30, 31 and screws or bolts 32 to the lower end of the down air pipe 6. Referring more particularly to the construction of this member 23, it will also be observed that the same is provided with a vertically disposed contracted bore 33 in its lower end adapted to receive a longitudinally extending and removable pump member or air distributor 34 having a flange 35 on its lower end clamped between the lower flange 25 on the member 23 and the flange 28 formed on the member 29, the same being held in posi-` tion in the borev by the bolts 26. As illus,- trated, this member 34 has a conical closed top 36 and is of substantially uniform erom section throughout the greater part of its length and provided from a point above its flan 28 with a series of air outlets 37. preferab y, but not necessarily constructed and operating in accordance with the disclosure o my copending application Serial No. 177,605, filed June 29, 1917. It will here also be observed that the member 23 is provided with an enlarged chamber 38 forming a continuatcn of the inlet 22 and of semi-cylinbe observed that the cross section of this member 23 is swelled between its ends, herein from the portion 39 to a point substantially opposite the end of the uniform cross section of the member 34, as shown at 40, the walls preferably tapering outward to the point 40 and then tapering inward at the same angle to the throat of a venturi 41 disposed near the upper end of the section 23.

Cooperating with my improved pumping mechanism just described. is improved separating mechanism. This mechanism, as shown, includes the separator casing 10, herein having a separate upv pipe 42 formed integral therewith and extending upward therein to a point near its top, and also eX- tending below the same, its lower end being preferably removably attached at 43 to the upper section of the pipe 9. As shown, the casing 10 also has a lateral acid outlet 44 formed integral therewith and located just above its bottom, which communicates with the tank 12 through the pipe 11. It will also be noted that an umbrella 45 is disposed above the out-let of the pipe 42 and clamped between radial lugs 46 on the inner periphery of the casing l() and a removable cover 47. As shown, this umbrella45 is also provided with radial lugs 48 received in recesses 49 in the lugs 46, and the two sets of lugs 46, 48 cooperate to form a plurality of annularly disposed openings leading upward into a pressure chamber 5l in the cover 47, which in turn communicates with a restricted vertically disposed fume outlet 52 in the latter, which may communicate with the atmosphere or with a pipe 53 as shown, leading the fumes and air to a suitable receptacle. As shown, the cover 47 is also flanged at 54 and removably attached, as by screws or bolts 55, to a corresponding flange 5G on the upper edge ot the casing 10, the flange 54 being extended inwardly in such a manner as to overlie the outer ends of the lugs 43 and thereby clamp the umbrella 45 securely in position. 'lhc portion of my invention constituted by the improved separating mechanism just described constituting divisible subject matter. it will be protected in my copending application Ser. No. 567,145, filed June 9` 1922, air lift systems, which is a division of the present case,

In the operation of my improved construction including the member 14 and the improved form of the member 23, it will be observed that the acid is delivered, without interruption of flow, to the air distributing member, and that through the alternate enla rgements and restrictions in the bore of the member 23 described, pressure of thei acid and mixture is so controlled that the air passing out of the outlets 37 in the miember 34 is enabled to forman intimate mixture with the acid and thereby carry the same upward through the pipe 9 and intoY the pipe 42 at the desired pressure. From this pipe the mixture rushes out against the umbrella 45. Due to the location of this umbrella, it will also be'observed that the acid will be deflected and carried downward along the inner walls of the casing 10 to the bottom of the casing and, through the accumulated ressure of the released air and fumes in t e top thereof, be carried out therefrom through the pipe 11 to the reservoir 12. On the other hand, it will be observed that the air and fumes in the acid are eilectually separated and enabled to pass out through the apertures 50 into the pressure chamber 51 formed in the cover 47 above the umbrella, the excess passing therefrom to the atmosphere or a suitable collecting receptacle through the restricted fume outlet 52 and the pipe 53.

As a result of my improved construction, it has been found possible to make each of the parts of the system of a non-corrodible casting and thereby increase the life of the apparatus and reduce the cost of manufacture of the same. Attention is also directed to the fact that the entire apparatus is exceedingly simple and that the different parts thereof may be readily removed when desired, as for instance during cleaning or the like, the members 14, 23, 29, 34, and 45 beingreadily removable when desired. These and other advantages of my improved construction will, however, be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

W'hile I have in this a plioation specifically described one embo iment which nry invention ma assume in practice, it is to be understood tliat the same is used for purposes of illustration only and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In an air lift pump, in combination, an elbowed riser having a restriction at the elbow outlet, and a pump member extending longitudinally thereof through said restriction.

2. In an air lift pump, in combination, a riser having an elbowed inlet and a restriction at the elbow outlet, and a pump member of substantially uniform diameter extending longitudinally thereof through said restricion.

3. In an air lift pump, in combination, a riser having an elbowed inlet and restrictions at opposite ends of its outlet portion, and a pump member extending longitudinally through said inlet and into said outlet portion.

4. In an air lift pump, in combination, an elbowed riser having restrictions in the opposite ends of its outlet portion and a swelled portion intermediate its ends, and a pump member extending through the elbow thereof and longitudinally of said outlet portion.

5. In an air lift pump, in combination, an elbowed riser having restrictions in the opposite ends of its outlet portion and a swelled portion intermediate its ends, and a pump member extending through the elbow there of and longitudinally Aof said outlet portion to a point substantially opposite said swelled portion.

6. In an air lift pump, in combination, an elbowed riser having a restricted elbow outlet and a restricted bore beneath its elbow, a longitudinally disposed pump member seated in and removable through said bore,

and means for attaching the same in position therein.

7. In an air lift pump, in combination, an elbowed riser having a restricted elbow outlet and a restricted bore beneath its elbow, and a longitudinally disposed apertured pump member seated in and removable through said bore and having apertures opening into the riser above the restriction elbow outlet.

8. In an air lift pump, in combination, a riser section, a pump member extending longitudinally thereof, and provided with a plurality of lateral pressure fluid jet forming means and means forming a lateral liquid inlet for said riser communicating therewith at a point opposite said pump member and below the first of said jet formin means.

n testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JHN OLIPHANT.

Certicate of Correction.

It ishereby certified that in Letters Patent No'. 1,427,317, granted August 29,

1922J upon the application of John Oliphant, of Chicago, Illinois, for an improvement 4in Air-Lift Systems," errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 30, claim 7, for the word restriction rend restricted; same page, line 34, claim 8, after the word thereof strike out tho comma and insert the lstime to follow the word means, first occurrence, line 36;

and tht the said Letters Patent should be rend with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oce.

Signed and sealed this 17th day of October, A. D., 1922.

(am.) KARL FENNING,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

